Vreba-Hoff farm land for sale 2011.09.14

Fallout from the Vreba-Hoff Dairy bankruptcy continues, with the auction of more than 400 acres of Lenawee County land scheduled Sept. 20.

An auction is also planned that day in St. Joseph County near Leonidas to sell 370 acres of land.

A farmhouse, barn and outbuildings are also on the auction block at each location.

The sale will be used to pay off a portion of the $9 million debt owed to creditors by Midwest AG Investments, the real estate subsidiary of Vreba-Hoff Dairy Development.

According to an article in the Adrian Daily Telegram, Lenawee County Circuit Judge Timothy Pickard approved an order in July to clear liens from titles in order to fast-track a sale. This would help the court ordered receiver, Amicus Management of Grand Rapids, Mich., take advantage of farm land prices that are currently running high.

Real estate agent Gene Beaverson of Fayette wasn’t yet familiar with the land scheduled for sale, but he’s seen agricultural land selling at prices much higher than even two years ago.

Recents sales in the Fayette-Archbold area have brought prices above $6,000 an acre, Beaverson said, but that was for land that was all tillable.

Halderman Real Estate Services of Wabash, Ind., is conducting the sales. The St. Joseph County land will be auctioned first, with a sale scheduled at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 20 in Leonidas. The Lenawee sale will follow at 6:30 p.m. at the Christian Family Center in Adrian.

Two of the Lenawee tracts are located southeast of Jasper on Treat Highway. The land was purchased several years ago when a 5,000 head dairy was proposed.

Another tract is located on Packard Road near Munson Highway. Two other tracts are located along U.S. 127 near Packard Road. Tillable acreage in Lenawee County totals about 300 acres. The farmhouse is located south of Packard on U.S. 127.

In addition to facing unpaid fines for environmental issues through the State of Michigan, Vreba-Hoff faced foreclosure last fall when the mortgage company Rabo Agrifinances sought payment of $55 million in loans.

Southern Michigan Dairy, a subsidiary of Rabo, later became the court-appointed owner of the farms.

STILL PROBLEMS—Large dairies with liquid manure systems have operated in the Hudson area since the first Vreba-Hoff facility was constructed in 1997. Ten years ago, after several cases of manure draining into streams, members of the Environmentally Concerned Citizens of South Central Michigan (ECCSCM), began a water monitoring project near manure application fields. The project tested water for E. coli bacteria and dissolved oxygen levels, two indicators of water quality.

The ECCSCM monitoring project of 2001-2003 documented several streams at risk from field application of liquid manure. The Department of Environmental Quality investigated, and in 2004 the DEQ placed two streams draining former Vreba-Hoff property on Michigan’s list of “impaired waters.”

Since then, no agency has done routine water testing. This led the ECCSCM to wonder how streams are faring today.

Volunteers began re-testing some of the same sites for E. coli and dissolved oxygen over the summer.

The first sampling on July 12 found E. coli bacteria counts as high as 52,000/100 ml at one site–52 times higher than Michigan’s standard of 1000/100 ml. for partial body contact. Two other sites also violated the water standard for E. coli with counts of 12,000 and 4,000/100 ml.

“Some agencies tell us practices have improved, the bad actors are gone. But the first test results don’t support that,” said Janet Kauffman, coordinator of the water monitoring project. “We’ll have a better idea what’s what in a few months.”

The group will monitor several sites every other week through the fall.

Total monitoring data is posted on the group’s website: www.eccscm.org.

GAMES DAY—Finn Molitierno (right) celebrates a goal during a game of Nok Hockey with his sister, Kyla. The two tried out a variety of games Saturday at Stair District Library’s annual International Games Day event. One of the activities featured a sort of scavenger hunt in which participants had to locate facts presented in the Smithsonian Hometown Teams exhibit. The traveling show left Morenci’s library Tuesday, wrapping up a series of programs that began Oct. 2. Additional photos are on page 7.

STRANGE STUFF—Morenci Elementary School students learn that blue isn’t really blue when seen through the right color of lens. Volunteer April Pike presents the lesson to students at one of the many stations brought to the school by the COSI science center. The theme of this year’s visit was the solar system.

MAPLE leaves show their fall colors in a puddle at Morenci’s Riverside Natural Area. “This was a great year for colors,” said local weather watcher George Isobar. Chilly mornings will give way to seasonable fall temperatures for the next two weeks.

MORENCI Marching Band member Brittany Dennis keeps the beat Friday during the half-time show of the Morenci/Pittsford football game. Color guard member Jordan Cordts is at the left. The band performed this season under the direction of Doyle Rodenbeck who served as Morenci’s band director in the 1970s. He’s serving as a substitute during a family leave.

MOVING EAST—Utility workers continue their slow progress east along U.S. 20 south of Morenci. New electrical poles are put in place before wiring is moved into place.

A PERFORMER named Biligbaatar, a member of the AnDa Union troupe from Inner Mongolia, dances at Stair District Library last week during a visit to the Midwest. The nine-member group blends a variety of traditions from Inner and Outer Mongolia. The music is described as drawing from “all the Mongol tribes that Genghis Khan unified.” The group considers itself music gatherers whose goal is to preserve traditional sounds of Mongolia. Biligbaatar grew up among traditional herders who live in yurts. Additional photos are on the back page of this week’s Observer.

HOLDEN HUTCHISON gives a hug to a black bear cub—the product of a taxidermist’s skills—at the Michigan DNR’s Great Youth Jamboree. The event on Sunday marked the fourth year of the Jamboree. Additional photos are on page 12.